At the hospital, Zhao Dong was no longer by Song Fuxiang’s bedside.
Just moments ago, with an outsider present, they had to show a united front. Now, with the outsider gone, Song Chan let loose her temper at her father, “Have I ever opposed you having girlfriends? You even pursue married women, no wonder her husband beat you.”
Song Fuxiang felt wronged, “I didn’t know Little Zou was married. If I had a wife like her, I’d pick her up and drop her off every day. That Xie guy never showed up, and even your Uncle Wan and the office colleagues thought Little Zou was single.”
Writing love poems didn’t win Little Zou’s heart; instead, she reported him.
Sigh.
He’d already been criticised, but he didn’t expect to get beaten too.
Thinking of the kick he landed, Song Fuxiang wanted to laugh, but the laugh pulled at the wounds on his face, making him wince in pain.
Song Chan was about to scold him more but softened, wanting to call a doctor for her dad.
“No need, no need, just surface wounds.”
Song Fuxiang told her to sit obediently, “Why didn’t you agree when Zhao Dong offered to send you abroad earlier?”
Zhao Dong had talked compensation with Song Fuxiang, who ignored him, then with Song Chan, but that fell through too.
Zhao Dong then mentioned his connections in the US, saying Song Chan was so outstanding and asking if she wanted to study abroad, rambling on. Even Song Fuxiang, lying in the hospital bed, was tempted, propping himself up to listen closely.
Covering tuition and arranging a school?
With such a good deal, Song Fuxiang felt he could skip his scheduled check-up and leave the hospital right then.
He could scrape together the tuition himself, but the school introduction was tempting.
Before Song Fuxiang could agree, Song Chan flatly refused.
Thinking back, Song Fuxiang still felt a bit disappointed.
Song Chan’s eyes reddened at his words, “You got beaten, and they don’t apologise, just offer to send me abroad to make up for it. If I agreed, would I still be human?”
Well, it wasn’t that bad.
A father sacrificing a bit for his daughter was no big deal.
Though he said this, Song Fuxiang’s heart warmed, and his injuries didn’t hurt as much.
So what if that Xie guy had some money? He didn’t have a filial and lovely daughter like Little Chan, heh heh heh, no matter how you compared, Song Fuxiang was the winner!
Song Fuxiang urged Song Chan to go home, saying she had school tomorrow.
Song Chan refused, “Let’s wait until this is resolved.”
That Mr. Xie seemed quite rich, and Song Chan had a hunch Zhao Dong was just the first of his emissaries!
Besides, if she wasn’t here watching, what if Zhao Dong came back, dangled the study-abroad offer again, and swayed her dad? Since they’d decided not to settle, choosing dignity over compensation, they couldn’t change their minds halfway. It would hurt her dad’s reputation at work. If he accepted the money now, his colleagues would surely think he really pursued a married woman.
Thinking of this, Song Chan glared fiercely at Song Fuxiang on the hospital bed.
“If you write love poems again, write them to single women, even if it’s an old auntie selling at the market, as long as she’s not married, write as many as you like.”
“Little Zou, she…”
“She’s married, no way!”
Song Chan was going mad.
Regardless of what was going on between that Aunt Zou and her husband, even if they were estranged, married was married, an unchangeable fact. With so many single women out there, unmarried, divorced, or widowed, why was her dad fixated on this one?
“Oh…”
Song Fuxiang’s eyes went vacant again.
Even his daughter opposed him pursuing Little Zou, life suddenly felt meaningless.
Why leave the hospital?
Might as well think about what other check-ups he could do!
…
When Xie Qian mentioned getting the Jiang family’s help at the police station, it was to make Xie Jinghu squirm.
Song Fuxiang being beaten by Xie Jinghu and ending up in hospital had spread like wildfire within the company. Jiang Xuekun wasn’t deaf or blind; even if he didn’t see it himself, someone would’ve told him.
The Xie family held significant weight in Jiang Xuekun’s eyes.
When Lin Lin married Jiang Youjia, Xie Jinghu personally attended to congratulate them, exuding an aura of grandeur and elegance.
Xie Jinghu wasn’t some nouveau riche, yet he did something like this?!
Xie Jinghu’s attack on Song Fuxiang not only shattered his image in Wen Ying’s mind but also baffled Jiang Xuekun.
With Xie Jinghu’s actions, what would happen to Zou Weijun?
She still had to work at the publishing group.
If Zou Weijun, who was doing well at her job, heard the office gossip, wouldn’t it upset her?
Jiang Xuekun heard Song Fuxiang was in the hospital and Xie Jinghu at the police station, and he really wanted to play dumb and ignore it.
But he liked Xie Qian.
Xie Jinghu was Xie Qian’s father, and Xie Qian was caught in the middle of his parents’ mess, how innocent was he?
Jiang Xuekun decided to ask Xie Qian’s opinion first.
At that moment, Xie Qian had just dropped Wen Ying home.
They’d skipped class to go to the police station, and dropping Wen Ying off was a bit early, not matching the end of evening study. Wen Ying suggested sitting at a nearby fast-food joint, but once inside, she regretted it. The smell of fried chicken and fries was so tempting; she didn’t feel it when avoiding them, but sitting there, the aroma made her crave.
“Eat if you want.”
Xie Qian noticed her secretly swallowing saliva, puzzled by girls’ thinking, “Li Mengjiao diets for the camera, but you don’t need to, right?”
Wen Ying was battling her cravings.
“No way, even if I’m not on camera, I don’t want to let myself go.”
Gaining weight was one thing, but fried food wasn’t good for her.
Since last summer, after cutting out unhealthy foods, her weight had gradually dropped. Wen Ying wasn’t aiming for a skeletal figure; she hovered around 100 pounds, sometimes losing or gaining a couple, feeling perfectly balanced and healthy.
Her baby fat hadn’t faded, though, and in her school uniform, her slim figure wasn’t obvious. People focused on her round face, overlooking how much her body had changed.
Wen Ying was most pleased with her skin.
Old acne scars had faded, and new pimples barely appeared.
A clean, clear face made her look fresh.
Xie Qian’s skin was so flawless you couldn’t see his pores.
Wen Ying even leaned closer to confirm this.
So how could Xie Qian understand her struggle?
Her hard-fought battle with cravings was instantly won.
If she couldn’t resist this small temptation, what big things could she hope to achieve?
Xie Qian didn’t get her but didn’t push, staying in the fast-food joint with tempting smells was torture, so they decided to walk instead, taking a different route to avoid running into Wen Ying’s parents.
Just as they left, Xie Qian’s phone rang.
“It’s Uncle Jiang.”
Xie Qian signalled Wen Ying to stay quiet, answered the call, and put it on speaker.
Jiang Xuekun asked if Xie Qian needed “help.”
“So you already know.”
Xie Qian first thanked Jiang Xuekun for his kindness, then brought up Xie Yuping’s words, “My dad did wrong, so let the law handle it.”
Just a night at the police station, right?
Compared to Xie Jinghu’s scumbaggery, this punishment was a mere drizzle of interest.
But for Xie Jinghu, it was low on harm but high on humiliation, Xie Qian’s move truly made him a dutiful son!
